SPEAKER BOEHNER – WE NEED YOU TO PROTECT VETERANS BENEFITS AND SERVICES FROM WASHINGTON’S BUDGET BATTLES
Imagine trying to run a large business or organization without knowing what level of funding you will receive each year or when it will arrive. This is the unfortunate situation VA officials have faced 22 of the past 25 years when Congress has failed to pass a budget on time.
As a result of political wrangling, VA officials are faced with an annual plight of not knowing, often for months on end, when or how much funding they will receive to manage essential operations such as claims processing, medical research and national cemetery burials.
Veterans are put at even greater risk when budget gridlock forces a government shutdown. Not only can a shutdown cause the VA to delay and suspend many critical services, it can also delay mandatory obligations, such as disability compensation and pension payments, for veterans, their families and survivors earned through service.
Take Putting Veterans Funding First Act Up For a Vote
Fortunately, there is broad, bipartisan support in Congress for the Putting Veterans Funding First Act of 2013 – a bill that would shield all of VA’s programs, benefits and services from Washington’s political budget battles.
The bill was overwhelmingly approved in recent votes taken by the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees. Now, it needs to be approved by Congress and sent for the President to sign it into law.